Tech Loaner Kits FAQs

What is a Tech Loaner Kit?

For the purpose of keeping Georgia citizens up to date on emerging technologies and to provide hands-on familiarization and training for library staff, the Georgia Public Library Service created a “Technology Loaner Kit”. There are currently 8 kits available for loan – 4 Tech Loaner Kits, 1 3D Printer Kit and 3 Streetview Kits.

Each Kit comes with a set of locks. When not in use, keep the Kits locked. Only the receiver of the Kit will be given the combination to the locks. Please do not share the combination with other staff members.

Now that we have it, what can we do with it?

You can use it for staff training, patron classes, programming, boot camps, maker spaces – anything you like. Some uses include:

Using the materials as a way of teaching patrons how to access electronic resources on mobile device.

Training staff on the use new technology.

Experimenting with the tech to see if your system would like to purchase it .

How do I know what everything is/how everything works?

Each device is documented on our website with a description, a user manual and the current market price. The name and price are also on the physical device.

All devices have a Near Field Communication (NFC) sticker. This sticker works like RFID and allows you to scan the device using an included tablet. When scanned, the NFC tag will take you to our online description page for that device. The included wireless hotspot allows you to access our site from any location. You can also manually browse the Tech Loaner Kit page on galibtech.org for information on each device.

Can I take the Kit out to do outreach in the community?

Yes, planned programming for outreach is encouraged.

Once we are done with it, what do I do?

Tech Loaner Kits are part of the PINES courier route. When the date of retrieval has arrived a PINES courier will pick up the kits and deliver it back to GPLS for review. After it is received by GPLS, IT staff will send out a survey to request feedback about the kit.